The Obesity Crusaders

Earlier this year I wrote "Waiting for the government, schools, daycare, health organizations, politicians, doctors, the food industry or others to fix the problem for you is no longer an option any parent should consider viable for the long-term health of their child. It's time we parents step up to the plate and take responsibility for what we're feeding our kids, what messages we allow marketers to ingrain in their minds, and what activities we encourage them to engage in each day."

Problem now? As the laws of unintended consequences go, now everyone is jumping in the game trying to solve the problem and what we're heading for isn't a solution, but a nanny-state!

In the United States we're not quite there yet, but consider this - Britain is establishing a database to track all children, their habits and behaviors, and investigate families whose children are flagged in the database as "at risk," based on particular behaviors - including failure to eat the government recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day!

The index - or those computer systems linked to it - will carry details of everything from vaccinations to whether a child is eating enough fruit and vegetables, or is struggling in the classroom...Doctors, schools and the police will have to alert the database to a wide range of "concerns". Two warning flags on a child's record could trigger an investigation.

Today, Britain's Daily Mail reported Sainsbury's (a retail grocery chain) will roll out a program of "Nutrition Nannies" to walk the aisles of their supermarkets and "advise families about what to buy to lose weight and stay fit."

Can you imagine?

It seems these obesity crusaders believe that the state has the right to define and enforce a single vision of what constitutes healthy living and a good life. The establishment of the "Children Index" database assumes the government's judgment is inherently superior to any individual's judgment - if you stray from the accepted vision, expect a knock at your door as you will be investigated; afterall you are putting your child at risk!

Think it can't happen here in the United States?